otherworldfandomcom-20200222-history
Kat
Kat is a Darkest Powers short story featuring the only hereditary Vampire in The Edison Group's Genesis II Project named Katiana. The events of the short story occur before those in The Summoning. It is available to read for free on Kelley Armstrong's website. Synopsis: Kat is deeply asleep when her guardian Marguerite wakes her up before dawn, telling her they've been found by 'Vampire hunters' who are after Marguerite. They've been running and staying on top of the hunters for two years and are always ready to run again. They chose the place they've been living as it has a ventilation shaft they can use as an escape route leading to the attic. As they watch the street from behind their buildings chimney Kat realises that Marguerite needs to feed and reveals she isn't aware that Vampires require an annual kill. They escape and head to a bus station close to their home with Marguerite apologizing repeatedly that they have to move again. As they continue on they joke about Kat's supernatural type, which she believes they are both unaware of, with Kat suggesting she's a werecat. When they pass a homeless man close to the bus station Kat insists that Marguerite feeds. She watches and is unbothered by this, to her Marguerite is hungry and it's no different from donating blood. Marguerite leaves the man a few twenty dollar bills. As they're checking out bus times a woman approaches them smiling and calling Kat by the name 'Kathy', the name she was born with. As Kat believed them to be hunting Marguerite she is surprised the woman knows her 'real' name. Before they can hail a taxi to escape two men begin to approach them and Marguerite has them run again. They end up trapped in an alley, Kat runs straight at one of the men hoping to surprise him so he will back up and she can get past but the man pulls out a gun and almost shoots her with Marguerite getting in the way and taking the shot instead. As they escape Kat hears one of the men saying that they were unaware that Marguerite is a vampire. They end up on a bus where Marguerite admits that they weren't vampire hunters, she only hoped they were, she also admits that she wasn't the target. She tells Kat they are The Edison Group. While Kat rests on the bus she thinks of her past. She grew up as 'Kathy' with parents who were more like guardians, they gave her everything that she wanted but there was never any affection in their home. Once a month she underwent medical tests by Dr. Davidoff, taken to him at night by her parents who told her she was sick. She met Marguerite when the woman became the new library assistant at her school when Kat was in kindergarten. When she was five Marguerite had to leave and asked her to come with her, as she loved her and didn't particularly love her parents she agreed. They went to Montreal where Marguerite posed as her aunt and Kat changed her name from Kathy to Katiana. After a few years of living together Kat was told the truth about the supernatural world and that she is a genetic experiment, Marguerite also told her that she was part of a network of supernaturals monitoring The Edison Group. Marguerite couldn't sit by while Kat grew up miserable so she defied her group and took Kat away. They get off the bus and head to a car rental on the other side of the river. Kat mentions that she recognised the woman in the bus station as one of the nurses from the lab where she was tested as a child. Marguerite apologizes again and Kat tells her she understands why Marguerite kept the truth from her. Kat believes The Edison Group and trying to kill her, Marguerite believes she's too valuable, she was kept secret even from most of the others working on the experiment but she can't be certain and won't risk Kat's life on the chance she's wrong. The Edison Group find them again, they listen in as the nurse who is a Witch casts a sensing spell to try and find Kat. It only works on the living so it can't pick up Marguerite and it only works intermittently on Kat. Together they take the woman and man down but not before they send their coordinates over a radio with GPS. More people are coming for them and Marguerite helps Kat to get away while she is captured, Kat tries to go for her but is shot at. Kat makes her way back and finds Marguerite bound and being led into a van, she tries to trade herself for Marguerite's freedom. When Kat accidentally makes a sudden move one of the men shoots her, he claims he thought she was trying to escape but the Witch believes he was waiting for an excuse. The man doesn't think Dr. Davidoff will complain as it gives him an excuse to test his theory about Kat. Marguerite manages to get Kat up and away from the Group but she's badly injured and they're approached by police officers. Marguerite makes sure Kat is wearing her Star of David despite not being Jewish before she escapes by jumping over a railing into a river. Kat wakes up in a morgue and quickly realises her gunshot wound is gone and she doesn't have a heartbeat or need to breathe. She also realises that the Star of David was to stop her from being embalmed and that Dr. Davidoff's theory was that she would rise again after death as a Vampire. Marguerite arrives and confirms she always knew what supernatural type Kat was supposed to become. Kat worries that she'll now be sixteen for the rest of her life but The Edison Group's modifications were supposed to allow her to age as a normal human with only the other powers of a Vampire. That is only a theory though and they can't be sure. The short story ends with Kat realising she has a Vampire's sixth sense for the living, as she and Marguerite escape the morgue on the run again with Marguerite telling her the records will she was accidentally cremated and promising they can go back to Montreal. Characters: * Katiana O'Sullivan * Marguerite * The Edison Group Category:Short Stories Category:Darkest Powers Series Category:Darkest Powers Character Category:Darkest Powers Short Story Category:Living Character Category:Vampire